A multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device

Abstract

This utility model discloses an integrated mounting device for multi-source airborne sensors, relating to the field of airborne sensor mounting technology. The integrated mounting device includes an irregularly shaped topology-optimized substrate made of carbon fiber composite material. The substrate has an asymmetrical "T"-shaped structure with arc-shaped cutouts and local bosses at its edges. Its thickness is gradient-distributed along the principal stress direction. Multiple heterogeneous sensor modules are magnetically mounted in mounting grooves on the upper surface of the substrate. Triaxial silicone shock absorbers are bolted to the four corners of the substrate's bottom. This utility model integrates a carbon fiber irregularly shaped topology-optimized substrate, a magnetic quick-release structure, a triaxial shock absorption system, and a high-precision synchronous triggering and dynamic balancing mechanism to achieve lightweight, low-interference, and highly stable integrated mounting of multi-source airborne sensors. This improves the spatial registration accuracy, time synchronization performance, and flight attitude stability of UAV platforms in multimodal collaborative observation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of airborne sensor mount technology, and in particular to an integrated mount device for multi-source airborne sensors. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread application of drones in fields such as ecological monitoring, precision agriculture, and urban remote sensing, integrated observation systems equipped with various heterogeneous sensors such as multispectral cameras, hyperspectral sensors, lidar, and thermal infrared imagers are becoming increasingly popular, placing higher demands on the integration, coordination, and stability of sensor mounting devices.

[0003] However, existing technologies generally use a split bracket to independently mount each sensor on the bottom of the drone, resulting in a large distance between devices (usually more than 200mm), which produces significant spatial registration errors (≥3 pixels) during image stitching and 3D modeling. At the same time, the total weight of the system often exceeds 2.5kg, which exceeds the payload limit of lightweight multi-rotor drones and seriously affects endurance and flight safety.

[0004] Furthermore, the long and crisscrossing sensor cables easily cause electromagnetic interference (EMI exceeding 15dB), interfering with the normal operation of navigation and communication systems. Independent triggering of each sensor results in a time synchronization error as high as 80–120ms, leading to increased NDVI calculation deviations and severe misalignment between point clouds and images. More significantly, traditional mounting structures lack dynamic trim capabilities, failing to cope with center-of-gravity shifts caused by battery depletion (weight reduction of up to 300g) or gimbal rotation during flight. This results in flight attitude instability, with peak inertial torque reaching 0.8 N·m, severely impacting data acquisition quality.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an integrated mounting device that is compact, lightweight, highly resistant to interference, and has high-precision synchronization and real-time balancing functions to solve the key technical problems of low integration, data asynchrony, and unstable attitude in existing multi-source sensor collaborative observation. Utility Model Content

[0006] This utility model provides an integrated mounting device for multi-source airborne sensors, including an irregularly shaped topology-optimized substrate made of carbon fiber composite material. The substrate has an asymmetrical "T"-shaped structure with arc-shaped cutouts and local bosses on the edges. The thickness is gradient-distributed along the principal stress direction. Multiple heterogeneous sensor modules are magnetically mounted in mounting grooves on the upper surface of the substrate. Triaxial silicone shock absorbers are bolted to the four corners of the bottom of the substrate to suspend the entire device on a UAV mounting frame.

[0007] Preferably, the central area of ​​the substrate is provided with a circular PCB groove, and a flight attitude sensor is fixed in the PCB groove. Its sensing axis is parallel to the plane of the substrate and is used to detect the pitch, roll and yaw angular velocities of the mounted device in real time.

[0008] Preferably, the substrate is provided with an electronic compartment, and a main control PCB board is sealed inside the electronic compartment. The main control PCB board is fixed by screws and integrates a trigger control unit and an FPGA control board.

[0009] Preferably, the electronic compartment is surrounded by carbon fiber walls and has internal heat dissipation holes.

[0010] Preferably, the substrate has a heat dissipation duct inside, which is consistent with the airflow direction of the UAV flight, and the heat dissipation holes are connected to the heat dissipation duct.

[0011] Preferably, the upper surface of the substrate is provided with a groove, and the inner wall of the groove is provided with a conductive shielding layer to suppress electromagnetic interference.

[0012] Preferably, multiple hardware trigger interfaces are embedded in the interface panel at the edge of the substrate. The hardware trigger interfaces are multiple M12 aviation plugs, each of which is connected to the main control PCB board through a differential signal line and is used to output synchronous TTL trigger pulses to each sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the bottom of the substrate is provided with a reinforcing groove, a slide rail is fixed in the reinforcing groove, a counterweight is slidably arranged in the slide rail, a lead screw is rotatably arranged in the slide rail, the lead screw is threadedly connected to the counterweight, and the lead screw is driven by a stepper motor.

[0014] Preferably, the mounting groove is provided with a magnetic block embedded in the inner wall. The magnet is circular with a diameter of 8–12 mm and a depth of 5 mm, and is distributed around each sensor mounting position. At the same time, several standard holes are opened in the mounting groove.

[0015] Preferably, the substrate has a biomimetic honeycomb structure in the gimbal mounting area. The biomimetic honeycomb structure is a hexagonal array with a side length of 3–5 mm and a depth of 2–3 mm.

[0016] This utility model provides an integrated multi-source airborne sensor mounting device, which, compared with the prior art, offers the following advantages:

[0017] 1. This utility model utilizes a uniquely shaped topology-optimized substrate made of carbon fiber composite material, combined with an asymmetric "T"-shaped structure and thickness gradient distribution design. This significantly reduces the overall weight while ensuring high strength and rigidity, keeping the total system mass below 2kg. It is compatible with mainstream lightweight multi-rotor UAV platforms. The substrate integrates multi-functional structures such as mounting slots, cable channels, heat dissipation ducts, and reinforcing slots. Combined with magnetic quick-release interfaces and standard mounting holes, it not only improves the installation accuracy and replacement efficiency of multi-source heterogeneous sensors but also effectively suppresses electromagnetic interference through a conductive shielding layer and neat wiring, keeping the EMI level within the 15dB standard limit. Triaxial silicone shock absorbers are arranged at the four corners of the substrate's bottom, with a resonant frequency below 15Hz, effectively isolating UAV propeller vibration and improving imaging stability. This solves the problems of large spatial errors, messy cables, and severe vibration interference inherent in traditional split-mounted structures.

[0018] 2. This utility model integrates the flight attitude sensor, main control PCB board, trigger control unit, and FPGA in the central area of ​​the substrate and the electronic cabin, constructing an intelligent control system that integrates unified triggering, high-precision time synchronization, and dynamic trimming. It achieves hardware level triggering of multiple sensors through the collaboration of GPS, PPS signals, and FPGA, with time synchronization accuracy better than 10μs, significantly reducing NDVI calculation errors and image-point cloud misalignment problems. At the same time, combined with the sliding rail-type counterweight adjustment module and stepper motor drive, the center of gravity position can be adjusted in real time during flight with a response time of less than 10ms, effectively compensating for changes in mass distribution caused by battery power consumption and gimbal movement, and improving flight attitude stability. In addition, the substrate is set with a hexagonal bionic honeycomb structure in the gimbal mounting area, and forms a passive heat dissipation channel with internal heat dissipation air ducts and heat dissipation holes, further enhancing the deformation resistance and thermal management performance of the high-stress area, and comprehensively improving the accuracy, reliability, and environmental adaptability of multimodal collaborative observation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a side view of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a partial schematic diagram of the substrate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting groove and other structures in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the heat dissipation duct structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a top view of the clamping plate structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the reinforcing groove structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 1. Substrate; 2. Mounting slot; 3. Magnetic block; 4. Standard hole; 5. Triaxial silicone shock absorber; 6. PCB slot; 7. Flight attitude sensor; 8. Electronics bay; 9. Heat dissipation hole; 10. Main control PCB board; 11. Hardware trigger interface; 12. Boss; 13. Cable groove; 14. Heat dissipation duct; 15. Reinforcing groove; 16. Slide rail; 17. Lead screw; 18. Counterweight; 19. Bionic honeycomb structure; 20. Stepper motor. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, outlines some embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1-7 This utility model provides an integrated mounting device for multi-source airborne sensors, including an irregularly shaped topology-optimized substrate 1 made of carbon fiber composite material, the substrate 1 having an asymmetrical "T" shaped structure.

[0031] The horizontal arm is used to install main sensors such as hyperspectral cameras and visible light cameras, while the vertical arm extends along the main axis of the UAV fuselage, with its end near the tail. The edge of the substrate 1 has multiple arc-shaped cuts and local bosses 12. The thickness of the substrate 1 is designed with gradients based on the results of finite element simulation. In areas where the main stress is concentrated, such as the gimbal mounting area and the connection of the counterweight slide rail 16, the thickness is 3.2 mm, while in areas where weight is reduced, such as the edge, the thickness is reduced to 1.5 mm. The overall weight is controlled within 1.8 kg, which meets the payload requirements of lightweight multi-rotor UAVs.

[0032] Multiple heterogeneous sensor modules are installed in the mounting groove 2 on the upper surface of the substrate 1. The mounting groove 2 is a recessed structure that matches the shape of each sensor, including a front circular groove for installing a lidar, a middle rectangular groove for installing a hyperspectral camera, and a side wing sloping groove for installing a thermal infrared camera.

[0033] like Figure 4As shown, each mounting slot 2 has a circular neodymium iron boron magnet embedded in its inner wall as a magnetic block 3 with a diameter of 10mm and a depth of 5mm. These magnets are distributed around the sensor mounting position to form a uniform adsorption force of ≥8N, enabling rapid positioning and stable fixation.

[0034] Meanwhile, several Φ4mm standard holes 4 with a tolerance of ±0.1mm are opened at the bottom of the mounting slot 2 to further tighten the sensor with M3 screws in high vibration environment to ensure flight safety.

[0035] Triaxial silicone shock absorbers 5 are provided at the four corners of the bottom of the substrate 1. The triaxial silicone shock absorbers 5 are connected to the bottom of the substrate 1 by M4 bolts, and the other end is fixed to the drone mount. The triaxial silicone shock absorbers 5 adopt an X / Y / Z three-dimensional asymmetric stiffness design of 200N / mm, 180N / mm and 220N / mm respectively, and the resonant frequency is lower than 15Hz. It can effectively isolate the high-frequency vibration caused by the drone propeller, which is mainly concentrated in 80-200Hz, and prevent image blurring and inertial measurement errors.

[0036] To achieve high-precision time synchronization, this device is equipped with a unified triggering and time synchronization system. The GPS module adopts a high-precision positioning unit with PPS pulse output per second. Its antenna is vertically fixed to the local boss 12 on the top of the substrate through M3 thread. The boss 12 is 20mm higher than the surface of the substrate 1 to ensure that the antenna faces upward without obstruction. The PPS signal is transmitted to the FPGA control module on the main control PCB board 10 through a shielded coaxial cable as a global time reference.

[0037] The main control PCB board 10 integrates a trigger control unit and an FPGA control board, which is fixed in the electronic compartment 8 in the middle of the substrate 1. The electronic compartment 8 is enclosed by a carbon fiber wall, which has dustproof and waterproof functions. It has multiple heat dissipation holes 9 with a diameter of Φ3mm, which are distributed in a honeycomb array. The substrate 1 also has a heat dissipation duct 14 that is consistent with the direction of the flight airflow. The duct has a cross-section of 4mm×2mm and runs through the bottom of the high power module. The heat dissipation holes 9 are connected to the heat dissipation duct 14. Passive convection heat dissipation is achieved by utilizing the relative airflow when the UAV flies forward, so that the temperature rise inside the electronic compartment 8 is controlled within 15℃.

[0038] The upper surface of the substrate 1 is provided with a wire groove 13, and the inner wall is sprayed with a silver-copper conductive coating to form a conductive shielding layer. All power lines and signal lines are neatly arranged in the groove, which effectively suppresses electromagnetic interference and controls the EMI level within 15dBμV / m, ensuring the stable operation of the communication and navigation system.

[0039] An interface panel is provided on the edge of the substrate 1, on which multiple M12 type hardware trigger interfaces 11 are embedded. Each interface is connected to the main control PCB board 10 through a differential signal line. When the FPGA receives the PPS rising edge signal, it triggers the control unit to synchronously output a TTL level pulse of 3.3V with a rise time of <5ns. The pulse is transmitted to the external trigger input terminal of each sensor through the differential line to realize the time synchronization of multi-source data acquisition. The measured synchronization accuracy is better than 8μs.

[0040] like Figure 6 As shown, to achieve dynamic balance during flight, a reinforcing groove 15 is provided at the bottom of the base plate 1, located in the longitudinal arm area. An aluminum alloy slide rail 16 is fixed in the reinforcing groove 15 by screws. A lead screw 17 is provided in the slide rail 16. The two ends of the lead screw 17 are supported by bearings and can rotate. A counterweight 18 is threadedly connected to it. The counterweight 18 slides with the slide rail 16 through a slider and can move within the range of 0–120mm. One end of the lead screw 17 is connected to the output shaft of the stepper motor 20. The stepper motor 20 is fixed on the motor mount at the end of the reinforcing groove 15. The main control PCB board 10 receives real-time data from the flight attitude sensor 7 and the UAV flight control system, calculates the current center of gravity deviation, and controls the stepper motor 20 to rotate forward and backward, driving the counterweight 18 to move. The response time is less than 10ms, which can compensate for the mass distribution shift caused by battery discharge or gimbal attitude changes.

[0041] The flight attitude sensor 7 is a six-axis IMU module, which is fixed in the circular PCB slot 6 in the central area of ​​the substrate 1. Its sensing axis is parallel to the plane of the substrate 1. It is used to detect the pitch, roll and yaw angular velocities of the mounted device in real time. The sampling frequency is 1kHz, and the data is used for trim control and image stabilization compensation.

[0042] Located at the center of the front part of the substrate 1, there is a biomimetic honeycomb structure 19. This structure is a regular hexagonal array with a side length of 4mm and a depth of 2.5mm. It is integrally molded into the carbon fiber substrate 1 by a mold. The local stiffness of this area is higher than that of the surrounding area, which can effectively suppress the dynamic bending moment generated by the ±30° pitch movement of the gimbal and prevent the multi-sensor line-of-sight offset caused by structural deformation.

[0043] In summary, the integrated mounting device is installed on the bottom rack of the UAV via a three-axis silicone shock absorber 5. After the system is started, the GPS module acquires the UTC time and outputs a PPS signal. The FPGA uses this to establish a high-precision clock reference. The flight attitude sensor 7 continuously monitors the attitude changes of the mounting device, and the data is uploaded to the main control PCB board 10. The main control system calculates the center of gravity offset in real time based on the battery power change and gimbal attitude feedback, and drives the stepper motor 20 to move the counterweight block 18 along the slide rail 16 to achieve dynamic balancing. After receiving the acquisition command, the trigger control unit outputs TTL trigger pulses to each sensor synchronously based on the PPS signal. All heterogeneous sensors start acquiring data at the same microsecond level. The FPGA timestamps each frame of data with an accuracy of ±5μs and transmits it to the UAV data recording system through the shielded wire in the cable tray 13. During flight, the external airflow flows through the heat dissipation duct 14 and through the electronic compartment 8, and exhausts heat through the heat dissipation holes 9 to maintain the thermal balance of the system. After the mission is completed, each sensor can be quickly disassembled for maintenance or replacement, and multi-task switching is supported.

[0044] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device, characterized in that: The device includes a topology-optimized substrate (1) made of carbon fiber composite material. The substrate (1) has an asymmetrical "T" shaped structure with arc-shaped cutouts and local bosses (12) on the edge. The thickness is distributed in a gradient along the principal stress direction. Multiple heterogeneous sensor modules are magnetically mounted in the mounting groove (2) on the upper surface of the substrate (1). Triaxial silicone shock absorbers (5) are bolted to the four corners of the bottom of the substrate (1) to suspend the entire device on the drone mount.

2. The integrated multi-source airborne sensor mounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central area of ​​the substrate (1) is provided with a circular PCB groove (6), and a flight attitude sensor (7) is fixed in the PCB groove (6). Its sensing axis is parallel to the plane of the substrate (1) and is used to detect the pitch, roll and yaw angular velocities of the mounted device in real time.

3. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The substrate (1) is provided with an electronic compartment (8), and the electronic compartment (8) is sealed with a main control PCB board (10). The main control PCB board (10) is fixed by screws and integrates a trigger control unit and an FPGA control board.

4. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electronic compartment (8) is surrounded by carbon fiber walls and has heat dissipation holes (9) inside.

5. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The substrate (1) has a heat dissipation duct (14) inside, which is consistent with the airflow direction of the UAV flight, and the heat dissipation hole (9) is connected to the heat dissipation duct (14).

6. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the substrate (1) is provided with a groove (13), and the inner wall of the groove (13) is provided with a conductive shielding layer to suppress electromagnetic interference.

7. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Multiple hardware trigger interfaces (11) are embedded in the interface panel at the edge of the substrate (1). The hardware trigger interfaces (11) are multiple M12 aviation plugs. Each aviation plug is connected to the main control PCB board (10) through a differential signal line and is used to output synchronous TTL trigger pulses to each sensor.

8. The multi-source airborne sensor integrated mounting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The base plate (1) has a reinforcing groove (15) at the bottom. A slide rail (16) is fixed in the reinforcing groove (15). A counterweight (18) is slidably arranged in the slide rail (16). A lead screw (17) is rotatably arranged in the slide rail (16). The lead screw (17) is threadedly connected to the counterweight (18). The lead screw (17) is driven by a stepper motor (20).

9. The integrated multi-source airborne sensor mounting device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The mounting groove (2) is provided with a magnetic block (3) embedded in the inner wall. The magnet is circular with a diameter of 8–12 mm and a depth of 5 mm. It is distributed around each sensor mounting position. At the same time, several standard holes (4) are opened in the mounting groove (2).

10. The integrated multi-source airborne sensor mounting device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The substrate (1) has a biomimetic honeycomb structure (19) in the gimbal mounting area. The biomimetic honeycomb structure (19) is a hexagonal array with a side length of 3–5 mm and a depth of 2–3 mm.

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